Brendan Pierce testifies in Dominique Devlin murder trial

COURTHOUSE — Jurors will essentially have to weigh the testimony of one man’s story over another’s of the tragic events of July 19, 2011, after closing arguments wrapped up in the murder trial of 16-year old Dominique Devlin Tuesday.

Murder suspect Brendan Pierce took the stand in his own defense Tuesday morning. Under direct examination by the prosecution, Pierce proclaimed his innocence, arguing a third person — in addition to Devlin and himself — entered an alleyway near Green and Basin streets that evening. It was that unidentified man, said Pierce, who was the killer.

“I didn’t witness anything. I didn’t see anything. I didn’t know what was happening,” said Pierce, when asked his recollection of the events of that night.

It was going on 1 a.m. into the next day, and sometime after 11 p.m., at least two — maybe up to five — gunshots rang out from the alleyway. Two of them proved to fatally injure Devlin, according to the coroner’s testimony.

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Throughout the trial, evidence was presented that linked Pierce and Devlin together on July 19, 2011. In the form of text messages recovered from both of their cellphones and corroborated by witness testimony, evidence suggests Devlin and Pierce were planning to meet for a liaison that evening.

Pierce told the jury that he was innocent of Devlin’s murder, at times re-telling his story of his recollection of the series of events that led to her death.

According to Pierce’s testimony, he and Devlin had deliberately rendezvoused in an alley near Green and Basin streets to engage in a sex act, when a mysterious, unknown figure appeared out of the darkness and interrupted them. Because of the poor lighting in the area that night, Pierce said he could only see an “arm’s length” in front of his face, but that he was clubbed over the head, doused in bleach and nearly robbed.

Seconds later, Devlin had been shot, bleeding from her neck in the street. She was pronounced dead on the scene.

Last week, the jury heard testimony of Cory Collins, the man fingering Pierce as having “bragged” to him about being responsible for Devlin’s murder. On Tuesday, Collins testified that he saw Pierce near Spruce Street, within an hour after Devlin was shot.

“We shook hands. He pointed to the (crime scene) and said, ‘you know that was me, right? Remember when I was robbed? We traced it back to a girl I know.’”

Assistant District Attorney Nathan Schadler, along with Assistant District Attorney Colleen McIntyre, attempted to convince the jury Pierce killed Devlin out of revenge for her alleged involvement in a home invasion at the Pierce household a few weeks earlier.

“That (expletive) had to pay,” said Schadler, in closing arguments.

“That pay would be her life. This was nothing short of a premeditated, cold-blooded killing.”

Schadler explained the difference between direct evidence versus circumstantial evidence, both, which he said, indicate Pierce as the murderer.

“They fit together like a puzzle,” said Schadler.

“When you put them together, one face emerges, and that’s the defendant.”

While Pierce was unable to give a description of the man he claims assaulted him and then shot Devlin, defense attorney Richard Tompkins said Pierce did what any scared teenager would do in that situation — he ran.

“Brendan was cross-examined vigorously, but from the moment he came to me, he’s told me the same story.”

Tompkins tried to discredit Collins’ earlier testimony by mentioning a proffer arranged with the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. Under terms of that agreement, Collins was promised leniency at the time of sentencing for his own unrelated crimes, provided he cooperate with the DA’s office in this case.

For this reason, alone, argued Tompkins, Collins had reason to implicate Pierce.

“(Pierce) knew about the home invasion, but had no knowledge Dominique Devlin was involved,” he said.

“He does not get to see who assaulted him. This person comes out of the shadows and strikes him with something metal. The trigger had no DNA on it, and there’s no evidence my client pulled that trigger.”

The jury will be charged and handed the case for consideration on Wednesday. Pierce is charged with first-, second- and third-degree murder and related offenses.